Chapter 1887: Xia's Father (Part 2)
"Speaking of it, it seems something regrettable also happened between you and Qingyue." Xia Hongyi said with some emotion.
Yun Che's change in how he addressed him, along with the noticeably increased sense of distance compared to the past, had been clearly perceived by both Xia Yuanba and Xia Hongyi.
Moreover, Yun Che never fully uttered the name "Xia Qingyue", always using "her" instead.
"Five years ago, due to a 'clash of ideals' between us, I dissolved our marital bond with a writ of divorce. At that time, I was far away in the God Realm and bound by unavoidable ties that prevented my return, so I was unable to inform Uncle Xia earlier."
Yun Che still narrated in the most plain and understated manner.
"I see." Xia Hongyi gave Yun Che a deep look, unsure how he interpreted the "clash of ideals" he mentioned, but likewise did not press further. Instead, he suddenly asked about another person…
"Che'er, what happened between you and Qingyue, though I wish to know, matters of your world may not be something I, as an elder, should overly interfere or pry into. But there is another matter I hope you can tell me from beginning to end."
Yun Che knew what he wanted to ask: "Please go ahead, Uncle Xia."
"After you left five years ago, Yuanba told me that you personally told him Qingyue had found her mother in that place called the God Realm. Is that true?"
Xia Hongyi's voice was clearly trembling slightly.
Yun Che nodded directly: "That's right. Not long after she was accidentally transported to the God Realm, she found her mother, and has been by her side ever since."
Xia Hongyi's body unconsciously leaned forward, his Adam's apple constantly bobbing, and his originally gentle eyes suddenly stirred with chaotic, overlapping waves: "Is she… doing well now?"
Chi Wuyue: "…"
The suddenly disordered pupils, and the violently pounding heart that almost burst out of his chest… mentioning Yue Wugou, Xia Hongyi's emotional upheaval was far more intense by a thousandfold.
Yun Che's heart stirred, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes. He truthfully said: "Actually, she passed away eight years ago."
BOOM—
As if a heavy hammer fiercely smashed into his heart, the violent tremor at that moment was shocking to the extreme.
Then, the beating of his heart completely stopped, as if it had suddenly died.
Chi Wuyue: "…………"
Looking at Xia Hongyi, who had suddenly frozen there, Yun Che frowned deeply: "Uncle Xia?"
Xia Hongyi's lips trembled, turning deathly pale, and the color drained from his face at a frightening speed.
"Dead… dead…"
He muttered in a daze, his seated body seeming to turn into a boneless pile of mud, sliding powerlessly from the chair.
Yun Che quickly reached out, using a gentle surge of profound force to support his body, while subtly applying some soul force to calm his collapsing mind.
"Uncle Xia, she has been at peace in bliss for eight years, please do not grieve too much." Yun Che comforted him, still unsure how to address Yue Wugou properly.
"Dead… dead…"
When a person is in extreme grief, with their senses lost and mind shattered, tears cannot flow. Xia Hongyi had no reaction to Yun Che's words, only completely hollow eyes and painful, heart-wrenching muttering…
It had been over thirty years since their parting, yet he had never let go in his heart.
Perhaps, beneath his calm and refined exterior over these thirty-plus years lay a sadness and desolation that had never faded.
Chi Wuyue's demonic eyes flashed with black light, forcefully gathering Xia Hongyi's scattered mind.
But while the mind could be gathered, the overwhelming sorrow could not be dispelled.
When his pupils regained focus and his senses returned, tears rapidly poured from his eyes. He hurriedly straightened up, turned his face away, and choked back his sobs as he said to Yun Che: "I'm… fine, fine… sorry you had to see that… Hiss!"
"Your deep feelings, Uncle Xia, I believe she… must be able to see them." Yun Che offered a weak consolation.
He wiped his tears, and after a long while, his expression seemed to calm somewhat. Letting out a long breath, he asked: "Che'er, tell me, how did she… pass away?"
Though he was trying hard to control himself, his voice still trembled violently, and the fingers gripping the sides of the chair twisted and deformed in pallor.
Yun Che had originally planned to tell the whole truth, but seeing Xia Hongyi like this, he knew he could not be honest. Keeping his expression unchanged, he said: "I heard that she had been in poor health for a long time. Although she kept trying to prolong her life all these years, in the end, she succumbed to illness in the Yue God Realm."
If he directly said that Yue Wugou died of a broken heart for Yue Wuyai, it would undoubtedly be an even heavier blow on top of extreme grief.
"Also, when she passed away… her daughter was by her side and personally buried her."
With these last words, he hoped to offer Xia Hongyi some comfort, but he still stubbornly refused to mention the name "Xia Qingyue".
"Is that so… is that so…" Xia Hongyi's eyes were filled with tears as he murmured: "I thought that in that world… she could finally break free from the shackles of illness… even if I never saw her again for the rest of my life, I would be willing…"
"Unexpectedly… it still ended up…"
He inhaled heavily, his heart in such pain that he could hardly speak.
Some grief simply cannot be alleviated by others' comfort. Yun Che understood this well. He glanced at Chi Wuyue and stood up: "Uncle Xia, no matter what, please take care of yourself. Your son Yuanba still needs your guidance."
"I trust that a man with such an open mind as Uncle Xia's will surely emerge from this sorrow soon. We won't disturb you any longer. In a few days, Yuanba and I will come to visit you again."
Xia Hongyi had spent his life in business and placed great importance on hospitality. But at this moment, his heart was filled with grief, leaving no room for formalities. He simply waved his hand weakly and said: "Go… tell Yuanba not to worry about me."
Yun Che said no more and prepared to leave.
But at that moment, Chi Wuyue suddenly spoke:
"Mr. Xia, I have a question I would like to ask. I hope you can enlighten me."
"?" Yun Che paused.
Even without deliberately infusing any soul force, Chi Wuyue's demonic voice still pierced the soul, something Xia Hongyi could not resist. He slowly raised his head, his gaze still trembling and colorless: "Please speak."
Chi Wuyue said slowly: "When was the last time you saw your daughter, Xia Qingyue?"
Without hesitation, Xia Hongyi replied directly: "Since Qingyue married Che'er and left for the Ice Cloud Fairy Palace, I have never seen her again."
"Ah, it's been over twenty years in the blink of an eye. I never thought that day would be our eternal farewell."
Yun Che's brow twitched, but he did not speak.
"…" Chi Wuyue nodded faintly: "Thank you for telling me."
——
Leaving the Black Moon Merchant Guild, Yun Che and Chi Wuyue did not tear through space to return to Liuyun City. Instead, their feet unconsciously moved forward.
Chi Wuyue's brows were tightly furrowed. With her mental faculties, she was rarely so perplexed. Yun Che also seemed to be weighed down by many thoughts.
"Strange, strange, strange… too strange."
Chi Wuyue murmured repeatedly.
"What is strange?" Yun Che asked absently.
Chi Wuyue glanced at him and said: "The difference in Xia Hongyi's reactions to his daughter's death and his wife's death is far too great. You couldn't have missed it."
"I don't want to talk about anything related to her." Yun Che said.
Chi Wuyue gave a faint, languid smile: "True indifference is when nothing stirs within you upon hearing or seeing it. But this overly forced avoidance of yours actually shows that you find it hard to forget her, and even harder to be indifferent… The more forcefully you avoid it, the more true that is."
"…Say what you will. I simply don't want to mention her." Yun Che said expressionlessly.
Chi Wuyue did not stop because of Yun Che's attitude, and continued: "Hating her for her ruthless cruelty and remembering the beauty of what once was are not contradictory, nor are they any kind of mistake."
Yun Che rubbed his forehead and said helplessly: "Here you go again."
He knew very well in his heart that although everything had settled, Chi Wuyue had always been troubled by the matter of Xia Qingyue.
Bearing the Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul, her ability to read people was unmatched in the world, yet she had completely misjudged Xia Qingyue.
This single, and rather significant, exception made it impossible for her to ever let it go.
She always showed a willingness to humble herself in front of Yun Che, but in truth, no one could surpass the pride in her heart.
"His reaction to the news of Xia Qingyue's death was far too calm."
Completely ignoring Yun Che's displayed resistance, Chi Wuyue continued: "Xia Yuanba bears the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian, with an extremely firm will. Even he was overwhelmed with pain upon suddenly hearing such dire news."
"But from Xia Hongyi, I only sensed a fleeting pang of grief. Compared to that, there was more sigh and surprise. It was more like suddenly hearing of the death of a neighbor's daughter."
"You are also a father, and you also have only one daughter. How abnormal his reaction was, you must know even better than I."
"…" Yun Che said nothing, but he no longer stopped her from speaking.
Chi Wuyue put away her smile, pondering silently as she spoke: "He is not a fanatic of the profound way, nor a cold-blooded emperor. The only reason I can tell myself is that Xia Hongyi is a person with extremely thin emotions. There indeed exist such people, born with emotional deficiencies, their seven emotions and six desires extraordinarily sparse."
"But his burst of sorrow upon facing Yue Wugou's death completely contradicts that."
"A man so devoted to love, with such blazing emotions—why, when facing his daughter's death, was he so calm and rational, hardly generating any sorrow?"
Chi Wuyue's slender fingers tapped her brow. She had come today to resolve the doubts in her heart, but after this brief contact with Xia Hongyi, she only found herself more puzzled and confused.
Yun Che said: "She was extremely cold and aloof by nature since childhood, rarely leaving her boudoir. She probably had very little communication with her father, so perhaps there wasn't that deep a father-daughter bond."
"Can you convince yourself with that reasoning?" Chi Wuyue tilted her charming eyes.
Yun Che raised an eyebrow, looking utterly indifferent.
"There is another matter that is even stranger."
Chi Wuyue furrowed her brows, her enchanting eyes that pierced through all worlds and bewitched countless beings narrowing into two deep, mysterious, narrow demonic abysses: "Last night, I had a long chat with Chu Yuechan about Xia Qingyue, and I basically learned everything about her past on this planet."
"So?" Yun Che turned his face, sensing the peculiarity in Chi Wuyue's emotion.
"Do you still remember why Xia Qingyue was so obsessed with the profound way back then?" Chi Wuyue asked.
"I remember," Yun Che replied, "Simply put, she hoped to find her mother and reunite the family."
That was what Chu Yuechan had told him back then. Later, Xia Qingyue also said the same to him in person.
She wanted to stand high enough… perhaps she could touch her mother's shadow… perhaps they could be reunited as a family…
"That's right, that's what Chu Yuechan said too."
Chi Wuyue spoke earnestly: "From this alone, she valued family ties very much. At least, she pursued relentlessly, sparing no cost, for a mother who was already blurred in her memory."
Yun Che: "…"
"She also valued her bond with you. Chu Yuechan said that she nearly died in the secret realm of Tian Jian Villa to save you… It was also at Tian Jian Villa that, upon hearing of your death, she cut off her hair."
Chi Wuyue softly recited: "'If there is no him in this world, cut off my hair and bury it with me, sever all feelings, freeze my heart.'… Those were the words she spoke to Chu Yueli and Chu Yuechan back then."
Yun Che's steps paused slightly, and his breathing became slightly uneven.
He thought he only had hatred left for her… so why did his heart still burn with such pain?
"And the Xia Qingyue I saw through Mu Xuanyin's eyes was exactly that kind of person."
"Now, a person who values love so much, especially family," her voice paused, and at this moment, Chi Wuyue's brows tightened to their limit, "Why, after marrying you and going to the Ice Cloud Fairy Palace, did she never return once to visit her father?"
———
1: [This foreshadowing first appeared in Chapter 239]